Sunny Winter Trail Run on Mount Doug Victoria, BC

With anticipation I awoke to a bright sunny February morning on Vancouver Island, ready for my Saturday long run. The warm sun and mild temps suggested that it was time to switch out the tights and toque for shorts and a running hat (at least for the day). I coaxed my body into a light jog at my usual training grounds on Mount Douglas in Victoria, BC. Having trained for about 4 weeks I was starting to get into a groove and quickly found a pace that felt great. Wisps of cool morning air brushed across my bare legs as I navigated the damp trails that wrap around the base of Mount Doug. It was one of those mornings where everything was clicking between my training, diet, and sleep - and they were all in sync. I was motoring through the miles effortlessly. The climbs were still more than I could manage without a walking break or two but my lactic threshold was definitely heading south. The downhills felt fluid and easy as my quads extended and contracted to slow my descent. I urged my legs into a fast clip as I cleared the wooded slopes and entered the sun-soaked exposed south slopes. It was amazing to be cruising over the trails in the sun. Overall the run was relaxed, playful, and rejuvenating. By the end I was thoroughly exhausted as a result of my eagerness to run quickly in the beautiful crisp morning air.

Sun-drenched trail on the southeast apron of Mount Doug (top). Climbing one of three major ascents out of the southern wooded approach (middle). The view west from the summit of Mount Doug showing the beautiful greens that are so prevalent this time of year (bottom).

Looking east out towards the Gulf islands of the Georgia Strait, halfway up my first major climb (top). Sun peaking through the undergrowth on Doug's south slope (middle). Circuitous trail through moss and ferns (bottom).


Below is a video capturing the run and was featured on the local newspapers (Times Colonist) entertainment page here.

Run up Ben Lomond July 2nd, 2011

I went down to Utah at the end of June with the intention of running from Smith and Morehouse to Bald Mountain in the Uintas with my best friend Tim. The problem is that even though I was waiting to do the event until the first week of July, the weather had been so cold and wet this spring that the Uinta Mountains were completely snowed over.

We had to think fast and come up with an alternate idea. I decided to take a test run to 9,500' in the Wasatch Mountains and see how the conditions were. I ran to Francis Peak and found that it was no problem if I stayed on south and west slopes of the range. The north slopes were still quite snowy. I had a great run and will block about it later.

Hill repeats in an evening blizzard!

Today was hill repeat day. One of my favorites as far as training goes. The idea was to run a total of 1500' up and down in less than an hour. I had Vye drop me off on the mountain because she was taking the kids to swimming lessons at the nearby rec center. I told her to pick me up in an hour and off I went. It started to flurry about the second I started my run. It was really peaceful, tranquil and the mountain was almost devoid of life (my last few runs there have been terribly crowded). I warmed up for 5 minutes up to where the trail turns right up the south face. I really focused on pushing myself much harder than last week and nailed my first 500' quite quickly. I tightened my shoes in preparation for the steep downhill and began to realize that the slope was going to be quite slippy from the newly fallen snow. Apparently I didn't learn my lesson from Saturday's icy descent because I just flew right down the steep South slope of Doug with no questions asked. There was one time where I almost lost my footing which is surprising considering this pair of Brooks I am running have over 1000 miles on them and their tread is basically gone. I exited the rocks and really flew down the steep dirt trails below the rocks. I find I am a lot slower on my downhill currently than the last two years and I need to make some improvements in that arena (thats what these hill repeats are for). The second summit was a bit harder and I ended up running weakly nearly the entire 500' up. I chalk this up to mental weakness, because on my third and final summit of the day I decided I needed to stop being a wuss and hammer it. So with a 1000' behind me I hammered the last 500' with reckless abandon. The snow really began to fly and it almost pushed me to run harder. Within minutes of starting my final summit my legs found a strong pace where I was taking quick bites out of the hill. At the summit the skies opened up and as I began my descent the city below was swallowed up in a swirling blizzard. It really was an amazing site. I was concerned that Vye would arrive at the parking lot before I did and worry I was dead on the side of the hill so I really pushed and sprinted the last 500 meters to the meeting spot. I ended up beating her there by about 8 minutes and finished my entire run in about 57 minutes. I honestly have no idea what sort of distance I covered but know roughly what the elevation is. What a great run. Can't wait to nail 2000' next week!

As I flew down the steep snowy slopes and slipped on the rocks I began to think how easy it would be to get killed if I wasn't careful or just made a clumsy error. This put a song called "Death" in my head by a group called "White Lies". The group is a Indie Pop group from England and were influenced by Talking Heads, Tears for Fears, Joy Division, and Interpol. I am including the original and a remix by Crystal Castles whom I posted a song from last post. I like both versions of the song and prefer one over the other depending on my mood. I realize the lyrics and song title are a little dark but hey, when your are gripping to the side of a snow-covered rocky slope by your worn out Brooks these thoughts are not unrealistic. I hope you enjoy! (I couldn't embed the originals so if you are interested in the actual video you will have to go to you tube to watch).

Week two of training for the "S&M to Baldy"

Week two of my training for the Smith and Morehouse to Bald Mountain went well. I started the week with hill repeats on Mount Doug. I absolutely love hill repeats, and I believe that hill repeats on steep terrain propel my fitness forward quicker than any other form of training (with the exception of long runs). After a brutal long run last week I took Sunday to rest and then hammered the hills hard on Monday. On Tuesday I had my best run in perhaps 6 months (probably a combination of the previous long run and the hills) and I actually had my first runner's high in some time despite the down pour. I ended up having some pain with my biceps femoris ligament in my right leg pit. Two days of rest and I was good to go.

Saturday's long run was amazing, it was one of those runs where you can feel your body making the change towards being more efficient and fit. I decided to crank out a full Mount Doug Gutbuster (2009 course) along with my distance from my house and back. Distance-wise it is about a half marathon, but what was so exciting is how much longer I could run (40 minutes longer) than last week's long run. Not only that, but I ran considerably stronger this week. I was able to keep drawing from strength and reserves that last week just weren't there. I must admit that I have upped my calorie intake each day this week up to nearly 2200 from last weeks 1600 and that has made a major difference. The Gutbuster was challenging in that Vic has been pounded by rain this week with almost 4 days without a break. The trail conditions were terrible as far as speed goes but they were fun and muddy. Half the trails were running streams, draining all the rain from the wooded water-logged slopes of Mount Doug. The flats were riddled with standing water in many locations, and every trail was muddy except those composed of solid bedrock. Speaking of bedrock, the north descent down the "bedrock buster" was absolutely treacherous. They were the most dangerous conditions I have ever experienced on the Mountain. The cold north-slope spends the majority of each winter day in shadow and as a result the entire route was laced in a solid glaze of black ice from the draining mountain. Every step was a roll of the dice as to whether you would still be standing or not. I did quite well up until the bottom quarter where I finally reached a point where the icy-rock, my speed, and gravity made the perfect storm and I went down hard. I bounced pretty good off my left butt cheek and caught myself with my left arm nearly busting my wrist and hand. I slid about 15 feet until I caught. I quickly picked myself up, did a quick triage (quickly realizing all was well) and then carried on. I sometimes forget that one wrong step could spell disaster and cost me a season of training and running or worse. Next time the bedrock buster is icy I will choose an alternate route down the mountain so I don't bust something and cause problems. Below is a picture of the upper reaches of the bedrock buster in Summer without the ice.

"Bedrock buster" in Summer. Picture it covered in a layer of black ice and then run down it (treacherous)!

I find myself daydreaming almost constantly about different runs I would like to do, and I am almost always concocting plans to run epic trails and bag legendary summits. This is dangerous because it is so easy to lose focus of my research goals. I seem to find myself on Google Earth, Topo, and Summitpost more and more trying to find or formulate the holy grail of trail runs. It is almost an addiction (OK it is an addiction) of trying to build the perfect run, combining amazing scenery, technical trails, and major summits. Some of the areas I have been looking at are Bryce Canyon in Utah and Delano Peak in the Tushar Range. Another drawback to this daydreaming is the reality that time and funds make it impossible to even attempt more than one or two of these runs a year. I will definitely still give it a red hot go though!

The Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon are beckoning me to come and run in their shadows!

The 12,000' + Delano Peak in the Tushar range is high on my priority list for trails and peaks to run!

This week was a good one for music because I was able to discover multiple songs that I really like. I have been in a bit of a dry spell as far as finding music that I really love and keep listening to over and over again. The first song I found this past week was a Cover of Platinum Blonde's 80's song "Not in Love". The cover was by the Toronto based thrasher duo "Crystal Castles" and features the vocals of Robert Smith of The Cure. I really like how the song easily resonates out of the 80's yet has carried the sound into the now. Smith's vocals compliment the electronic music beautifully and this song played over and over in my head on my Saturday long run and I enjoyed every minute of it as I ran through streams, jumped puddles, slid on ice, and cranked out a great run. Great song and Cover. Enjoy!

My first Gutbuster Mount Doug 11 Km Training run

Today was a really good day for me with my running. I accomplished many "firsts". Before conference I decided to do my weekly long run. It was pouring rain and was chilly, about 13 degrees (57 f). I figured I would go for the full gutbuster 11km (yellow line on the map) plus my added distance to and from my house, and a slight variation on the course, which put my distance closer to 15 Km. It took me quite a while to get in the groove. It is amazing that regaurdless of how hard I train, my first 2 Km are just brutal. Today was extra bad, but it turned out to be a good thing. I hit my groove right at the start of my first major hill climb (the Irvine Climb). Here is where I accomplished my second first. I summited Mount Doug without having to speed walk at all. My legs were just burning, and my lungs were trying to engulf the necessary oxygen. I would not let myself slow to a walk. I just kept pushing myself, and before I knew it, I was on the last few swithbacks to the top. I was stoked. I then battled some really slick rocks and messed up my right leg (see photo, you can tell it's messed up). The rain drops began to fall faster, and seemed that each drop encompassed a pop cans amount of liquid. I was drenched. I finished summiting little doug and summited big Doug again. I finished my distance and struggled up the big hill before my house. I had made my full distance. It took a total of 2:12 and so I ran beyond the 2 hour mark for the first time since moving up here. I was so relieved to be done and was happy with my progress this week. My temperature was super hot from the run, but when I got home I found myself locked out of the house, and my tempature crashed. I finally got inside and snapped a photo of myself after my first succesful Mount Doug long course completion, for prosperity sake. I started the run at 150.8 lbs and finished the run at just over 148lbs. To make my goals for my times I want, in about 40 weeks for the actual race, I will need to shave at least 40 minutes off my time. So I need to average about one minute quicker each week then the week prior. I jumped in the tub turned on conference and warmed up. I am affraid I will have to start nursing my injured right leg, and I may loose some training time. I pulled my acheles and hamstring, which in turn caused my knee to track poorly under my patella, so I have a bit of runner's knee as well. Time for ice and stretching. I will muscle through it though. I can't wait to hit the trail again. I ran pretty long on wednesday as well, but my mind was uneasy due to some loose ends that have not been tied up. I ran very poorly that night as a result. Between then and now I had made some progress on working through my issues, and feel the peace of mind allowed me to run better. It is amazing how interlinked our mind, body, and spirit are. I love the fact that running allows me to totally push my limits to where my will is the only thing keeping my body firing. I love to see just how much pain I can create for myself. I know it sounds crazy, but it is fun to me. The conference tonight was great, and I look forward to tomorrow.

An Ode to Mount Douglas

I am going to do another long run of Doug this afternoon. I will most likely be doing about a 2:00 hour or slightly longer. I will try to summit doug twice and little doug at least once. It is a great hill to climb. First it has great trail systems. You can always switch up your run depending on distance, steepness, rockyness, or you can just trail run around the mountain on a nice flat run. It is really nice to have such variabillity while training. The mountain itself is 220 meters (almost 1000 feet) above sea level, and since, on my run to the mountain, I pass within a few meters of the ocean, I climb this elevation every time I summit. So an average long run with summiting Big Doug twice and little Doug once, I climb over 2,000 feet. It is a really good spot to train. The views are fantastic and sunset (when I usually run) can be breathtaking. This is a truly inspiring run, the terrain and scenary is brilliant, and the trails are always different as conditions change. The silence is only broken up by my foot steps on the moist organic rich soil. It is not hard to be a runner in Victoria infact it is an absolute joy.

A long run and a short run

I did two additional runs this week. On Wednesday I did a really long run, I was gone 1:40 and yesterday I did speed work on one of my favorite runs and did 1:03. On Wednesday it had rained all day and started raining again as I ran. I left about 6:00 and thought I would go on a medium lengthed 1:15. The rocks were all really slick and I did a butt flop or two because of the slippery boulders. After I summited doug and slipped down the rock buster, I decided to summit little doug. At this point it was dark and I couldn't see a darn thing. I decided to go all around the park and missed my turn and found myself in the neighborhood. Once I figured out where I was I finished my run. In all it was a long wet and tiring 1:40 minutes. Yesterday was quite a bit different and I only went for speed. I did my favorite run just to the summit and back. I wanted to break 1:00 hour. I had done it in 1:15 before so I really wanted to shave some time off. I left the i-pod and bumbag at home at booked it. I really pushed. I almost completely summited without having to walk. Right at the end I had just to much lactic acid built up in my muscles and had to walk for two minutes to release it. It got dark when I summited and the whole run down was really dangerous and black which slowed me significantly. I finally got to the smooth sections and tried to make up lost ground. I finished right at 1:03 and missed my goal. I was a little sad but I will break 1 hour next Friday.

Long Run up Mount Doug and Little Mount Doug Victoria, BC

Today I did my long run (yellow and green run. I started at 8:40:00 and finished at 10:35:50. So almost a full 2 hours. This was my first really long run in a while and it showed. I was absolutely knackered by the end. I summited Mount Doug first from the Northeast slope, I then descended the the Northwest (more or less) slope, I then summited little doug from the north and descended from the south, I summited Mount Doug again from the south, and lastly came down my first ascent trail. I was not at my full two hours when I reached the park so I ran an extra 10-15 minutes on Whitaker. I really hit the wall at about 1:38:00 and must admit I had nothing left in the tanks to finish running. I ended up walking the last 15 minutes (how embarrasing). It was a great run and I excperienced some trails I hadn't attempted before. It was brutal and difficult with the multiple ascents, but what was surprising is the first descent of Doug is very challenging. It is rocky, steep, and fast and one trip could mess you up pretty bad. I think my total distance was between 7 and 10 Km when you add in the street running to and from the house. I am not quite sure for distance but nearly 3/4 of the gutbuster 11Km route. I purposely didn't pack down the carbs so that I would force my body to function almost completely on stored glycogen. I think it will help to improve the way my body metabolises glycogen in the long run. You do notice a huge difference running in the morning on no easy to burn carbs, vs dusk after a day of carb loading. My joints did well but I could definately feel it by the last descent of Doug. My repair meal consisted of two scrambled eggs with cheese, and a peanut butter and honey sandwich. After stretching and eating, and showering, I had to lay down for about an hour but I feel pretty good now and probably could even run tonight (but I am not going to). The weather was cloudy and maybe only 50 degrees. I am excited for my Monday run, and I will have to do it in the early morning since both lectures are in the evening and I don't get home to almost 10. I have a long way to go until I can compete in the gutbuster but I have a good chunk of a year to train. I need to increase distance by about 25% and cut my time by 50% to be competive. Distance won't be an issue, but speed is going to be my challenge. One last note is I am currently running a pair of Asics gel 1130's and they are not trail shoes. I have about 200 km logged on them and find I am nearing about 5o% of their life. The trails are really rough on them though and they had a major effect on my overall performance today, and once they are gone I won't have $100 for new shoes any suggestions are welcomed.

A picture of a portion of the trail, this is the flat easy section of the trail. I would like to photo and write details on the majority of my training runs so that I can focus on strategy. Maybe in the next week or two I will attempt it.